outs!"

The words acted like a talisman. In one moment, from the extreme of
apathy, the crew were aroused into the utmost activity.

"Where away?" asked the captain in an animated tone.

"On the weather bow," was the answer. "There again! there again!" came
the cry from aloft, indicating that other whales were spouting in the
same direction.

The crew were rushing with eager haste to the boats, each man to the one
to which he belonged. The captain went away in one; the whale-master
and two of the officers in the others,--for five only were lowered.

Walter and Alice were on deck, as eager as any one. Walter was about to
slip into one of the boats when the first mate saw him.

"No, no, my lad; the danger is too great for you. The captain has not
ordered you not to go; but I am right sure he would not allow it."

Walter felt much disappointed, as he was very anxious to see the sport.
He would not have called it sport for the poor whales, had he witnessed
the mighty monsters writhing in agony as harpoons and spears were
plunged into their bodies.

Away dashed the boats as fast as the hardy crews could lay their backs
to the oars, the captain's boat leading, while the ship was heading up
towards them. All hands on deck watched their progress, till they
looked mere specks on the ocean, although the backs of the whales and
their heads could be seen above the surface as they spouted up jets of
breath and spray.

Walter was surprised to see the third mate and surgeon with pistols in
their belts and cutlasses by their sides, while Nub and Tidy and several
other trustworthy men gathered aft, also with cutlasses, pistols, and
muskets in their hands.

"Why are you all armed?" asked Walter. "I thought there was no fear of
the mutineers playing any tricks."

"We obey the captain's orders," answered Mr Lawrie.

"I thought that as Hulk is dead, and the boatswain is away, none of the
rest would venture to mutiny."

"The boatswain is cunning as well as daring, and while the captain and
most of the other officers are away, he might come back and induce those
he has won over to take possession of the ship," answered the surgeon.
"Your father is right to take precautions, though there may be but
little chance of anything of the sort happening."

"We must not tell Alice, or she may be alarmed," observed Walter. "If
she observes that you are armed, I will tell her that our father
directed it should be so."

The capt